Google Chrome’s default white theme may seem inviting, however, it is not without its problems. If you are a person like me who spends a considerable amount of time on Chrome, you will have noticed the negative effects of its bright white theme. In addition to being super bright, blue light can wreak havoc on our sleeping patterns, especially if we use it during the night hours.
For those who don’t know, staring at the bright screens on our laptops and phones is the perfect recipe for sleep disturbances. Not only does it take us longer to fall asleep, but it also robs us of much-needed deep sleep, thus leaving us tired the next morning.
This problem can be solved in part by using a dark mode in Chrome. Sadly, unlike Android, Chrome doesn’t have a native dark mode for Windows yet. In fact, the most popular browsers like Firefox and Opera don’t have a built-in dark mode either. Disappointing, right?
Fortunately, third-party extensions and themes on the Chrome Store help bridge the gap by bringing the magic of dark mode / theme to Chrome (and thus keep your sleep routine from going crazy).
Let’s see them!
Table of Contents
- 1 1. 1. Outline
- 2 2. 2. Dark reader
- 3 3. 3. Dark Morpheus
- 4 Sleep well
1. 1. Outline
Currently one of my favorite extensions, Deluminate, reverses light colors into darker tones, thus making web pages easier on the eyes.
And if that wasn’t enough, this great extension gives you a couple of options to customize the look.
If you don’t like the default “Invert Luminance” option, you can dim the color or adjust the brightness to your preference through the Settings menu. These options preserve the original color of the lashes, minus the contrast.
To enable dark mode, all you need to do is add the extension to Chrome and refresh the already open tabs. The dark theme / mode will be visible immediately. What I loved about this app is its clean interface and the simplicity with which you can enable / disable settings.
Download Deluminate
2. 2. Dark reader
Another extension to bring dark mode to Chrome is the Dark Reader. This extension was previously featured on our list of great Chrome extensions, and to date, it has worked like a charm.
Like Deluminate, Dark Reader also inverts the color of web pages. However, what makes it different from the rest is its vast set of customization. You can adjust the brightness and contrast according to your choice.
The feature I like the most is that you can also have specific brightness settings for your favorite sites. Thus, my reading sites have the dark mode, while the sites with more images and videos manage to keep their original appearance.
In addition, Dark Reader allows you to create a custom list of sites (Google Maps, Google Image Search) that should not be affected by it.
Also, this extension does not invert the color of videos or photos.
But, at the end of the day, it’s not perfect. Therefore, you may encounter a problem or two on some sites, especially with banners.
Download Dark Reader
3. 3. Dark Morpheus
Both Deluminate and Dark Reader darken web pages by inverting the colors, however the tabs and frame remain white. If you want to have an overall dark look in Chrome, it’s best to combine the extensions with a dark theme.
One of the best themes to help you with it is Morpheon Dark. With a clean look and sharp design, Morpheon makes Chrome look a lot more at home.
Except for the address bar, almost the entire frame turns black. It is accompanied by a lighter shade for the active lash, to help differentiate it from the rest.
Outline + Morpheon Black Adding themes to Chrome is similar to adding extensions. The only difference is that, unlike extensions, you won’t be able to disable them from the extensions list. Instead, you would have to go to Chrome settings and disable it from the themes section.
Download Morpheon Dark
Sleep well
The combination of a theme and an extension can do wonders for your eyesight. Also, it makes your browser look super cool. The only problem you may encounter is confusing your active window with Chrome’s Incognito mode. But trust me, in time, you will get used to it.
So the next time you’re lazily browsing through various websites late at night, enable the extensions and browse without feeling guilty.
